The Silent Revolution(Das Schweigende Klassenzimmer)

#DiscoveryFilmFest

Date: 27 October 2019

Location: Cinema

Director

Lars Kraume

Country

Germany

Year

2018

Duration

1h51m

Certificate

Ages 15+

Language

German (and Russian) with English subtitles

The year is 1956. During a visit to the cinema in West Berlin, high school pupils Theo and Kurt see dramatic newsreel footage of the Hungarian uprising in Budapest. Returning East to their homes in Stalinstadt, they spontaneously decide to hold a minute’s silence at school in support of the victims of the uprising, and encourage their classmates to join them.

"A slow burn thriller that challenges the audience..."

But the gesture has a much bigger impact than they could have expected: while their headteacher initially tries to put the whole thing down to youthful playfulness, the pupils become objects of the political machinations of the fledgling East German state. The People’s Education Minister condemns the action as a clearly counter-revolutionary act and demands that the ringleader be named within a week. Sticking together, the students face a choice that will change all their lives forever…

Based on real events, this is a slow burn thriller that challenges the audience to consider what they might have done in the situation. At what point is it important to stand up and tell the truth, regardless of the consequences?